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“I BEGAN COVERING sports/running for The Washington Post in 1982
and covered my first Marine Corps Marathon [MCM] that year and
every year since except 2004,” says Costco member Steve Nearman.

He and Jeff Horowitz, a fellow journalist and runner with 173 marathons to his credit,
have created Marine Corps Marathon: An Epic Journey in Photographs, featuring pictures that
chronicle nearly four decades of the marathon’s history. The photos come from the extensive
MCM archives and from other photographers.

Says Horowitz, also a Costco member, “When I see veterans on the course—especially thedisabled veterans, such as those featured in our book—I know that for many participants andtheir families, this event is more than just a race; it’s their statement to the world that whiletheir bodies may be compromised, their spirit is not.”The book is available in Washington, D.C., Costcos, or at
mcmphotobook.com.—TFJ

DEBBIE CAGLE’S connection to
today’s generation of veterans began
and ended with watching and reading
the news. That all changed in 2009,
when a young veteran approached her
employer, the nonprofit mental health
provider Centerstone, about getting
involved with helping veterans struggling with mental health issues, particularly suicide.

“When they started talking aboutmore citizens dying on U.S. soil bytheir own hand than on the battlefield,it really touched me,” she says of thatinitial meeting in 2009. “I was pas-sively watching what was going on inthe war, but I wasn’t really getting it.”Today, Cagle, a Costco member in Franklin,Tennessee, is the acting chief operating officer of theoutgrowth of that conversation—CenterstoneMilitary Services, which includes the CourageBeyond program that links active-duty servicemembers, veterans and their families with free andlow-cost counseling, support groups and resources.

One mother Cagle knows has two sons whoboth served overseas and who were both strugglingwith issues including suicidal thoughts after theirdeployments. The woman was able to get effectivehelp for them, and for herself, after contactingCourage Beyond.

“She was so grateful,” Cagle says. “That’s the rea-son we do what we do.”Operating in all 50 states, Courage Beyondoperates a crisis phone line 24 hours a day at 1-866-781-8010. More information is available online at
couragebeyond.org.—CK

Debbie Cagle of
Courage Beyond

WHEN COLLEEN Baccus
moved with her husband, an
active-duty Army sergeant, and
their two children to yet
another duty station in 2009,
she was tempted to just hole
up in their new house. And for
a while, that’s what she did.

The family had just arrived at
Fort Stewart, Georgia, and
Baccus knew nobody.

Five years later, the Costcomember not only knows peopleat Fort Stewart, she volunteersas a Girl Scout troop leader, hasventured outside her comfortzone to take up weight liftingand CrossFit, and has “foundmy own voice.”What happened to makesuch a difference? An organiza-tion called Her War, Her Voice(HWHV;
herwarhervoice.com).

Founded in 2009 by Army
veterans Melissa Seligman and
Christina Piper, HWHV provides support to all women
with a connection to the military. Through online discussion
groups, in-person support
group meetings and retreats,
HWHV offers women a place
where they can openly and
honestly talk about the unique
challenges that come with military life.

“In the military, we’re
often geographically challenged because we don’t have
family nearby,” Baccus says.

The HWHV community
helps mitigate that isolation by
creating lasting bonds that can
continue even when the
women move, thanks to its
online component, Baccus says.

“HWHV gives women a
place to call home,” says
Seligman. “Having a place to
voice a victory, struggle or need
is imperative to help a war-torn
community heal.”